Tag Archives: Black

Review: Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

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Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

Ain’t Burned All the Bright
Jason Reynolds
Illustrated by Jason Griffin
Atheneum
Published January 11, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ain’t Burned All the Bright

Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop. In about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.

So, for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

My Review

This is another book that totally blew my mind. The story is very simple, but even that is part of its power. The illustrations are so illuminating. I know the story is about oxygen, about breathing, about a flame catching, but that is also what reading this book feels like. It’s that perfect blend of a spark, oxygen, and fuel that creates a burst of flame.

I’ve had this book on my reading list since it came out. I noticed it recently on a Publisher’s Weekly list of best books of 2022, and decided it was time to just read it.

It’s the kind of book that you could read in an hour, less probably, but that you’ll want to take your time with instead. I found that as I read, I wanted to just sit with each illustration and let the words sink in.

I feel like I keep coming back to the fact that at its core, AIN’T BURNED UP THE BRIGHT is a simple story, yet it’s so much more. Maybe that’s what makes it so incredible.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. I loved it, and I can’t think of anything else like it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
The artwork shows a Black family. The story is from the perspective of a Black boy.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to news stories. The words stop short of specifically talking about police violence, but it’s clear that some of the news stories the narrator refers to are those stories. Some of the artwork shows fire.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant

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Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling
Elise Bryant
Balzer + Bray
Published January 31, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling

Delilah always keeps her messy, gooey insides hidden behind a wall of shrugs and yeah, whatevers. She goes with the flow—which is how she ends up singing in her friends’ punk band as a favor, even though she’d prefer to hide at the merch table.

Reggie is a D&D Dungeon Master and self-declared Blerd. He spends his free time leading quests and writing essays critiquing the game under a pseudonym, keeping it all under wraps from his disapproving family.

These two, who have practically nothing in common, meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve. And then again on Valentine’s Day. And then again on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s almost like the universe is pushing them together for a reason.

Delilah wishes she were more like Reggie—open about what she likes and who she is, even if it’s not cool. Except . . . it’s all a front. Reggie is just role-playing someone confident. The kind of guy who could be with a girl like Delilah.

As their holiday meetings continue, the two begin to fall for each other. But what happens once they realize they’ve each fallen for a version of the other that doesn’t really exist?

My Review

I tend to love books about music and musicians and Dungeons and Dragons players, so I felt pretty sure going into this book that I would love it– and I did. I really enjoyed the journey of Delilah finding her feet as a front woman in her band and learning more about music and songwriting as well as forming relationships with other girls in her music scene. Discovering what she meant to her fans truly affected her, and I loved that. I thought it was really cool.

I liked Reggie, too. Maybe I just connected to Delilah’s story more, or maybe the story was weighted more toward the scenes in her point of view, but I kind of found myself wishing there was more DnD content or more about Reggie experiencing the game. The scenes that were there were great, and I enjoyed them. I just wish there had been a few more.

On the romance side, I loved that, too. It was sweet watching the two of them try to figure one another out or wrestle with doubts or finally work up the courage to make their moves. Also, in terms of side characters, Delilah’s little sister Georgia is my absolute favorite. I loved the way she spoke truth and made me laugh, often at the same time.

All in all, I enjoyed reading REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING a whole lot. I think readers who loved EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING by Nicola Yoon should give this one a try.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Delilah is biracial and identifies as Black. She also suffers from migraines. Reggie is Black and has dyslexia.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Reggie’s brother Eric and his friends make fun of him for playing Dungeons and Dragons and being a nerd, telling him he isn’t truly Black if he likes those things. Delilah faces racist comments on social media after her band posts photos and videos of her performing with them.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of REGGIE AND DELILAH’S YEAR OF FALLING in exchange for my honest review.